Never Left
by Drake Clawfang
Summary: It's several months since the defeat of Kadaj and his brothers. Cloud has become even more a recluse. Aeris is gone for good, and there's no way she could still be alive. But just because she's dead, doesn't mean she's gone...does it? AerisxCloud, post AC
1. Chapter 1

**This won't be a long story, maybe a two or three shot. I just wanted to get a second VII fic up.**

Never Left

Chapter 1

Tifa's eyes popped open at the sound of a door slamming. She sat up and grabbed her gloves from the beside. The bar had closed a couple hours ago, and she looked down at her watch. Just past midnight. She slipped her gloves on and moved into the hall, listening. There a clinking of glass from downstairs. She moved to the stairs and careful tiptoed down them. She'd run 7th Heaven for eight years after coming to Midgar and had run this new bar ever since it existed. And she hadn't ever had a single burglary. Time to show this one why.

Tifa paused and pressed herself against the wall of the stairs, listening to the footsteps moving about the room. They came closer, and she spun around the corner. Gloved fists shot out and the victim cried out, stumbling back as they made contact with his face. Glass crashed to the floor and Tifa spun and delivered a kick to his chest, knocking him back to land on a table. The wood cracked and collapsed, and Tifa turned on the light behind the bar.

"Cloud?" she gasped.

"Uh huh?" the man asked, groaning and turning onto his stomach.

"Oh my god, I'm so sorry!" she cried, running to help him up. She slipped on something on the way and looked at what it was. A beer. So that explained the glass rattle. "You okay?" she asked, taking Cloud's hand and pulling him to his feet.

"No," Cloud coughed, collapsing back on a barstool. "Shit, Teef…" Cloud pulled up his shirt and looked down at the red flesh covering his chest. "That's gonna make a nice bruise," he mused. Tifa blushed at the sight and moved behind the bar.

"Sorry, I thought you were a burglar," she explained, grabbing him another beer and a bottle of painkillers from under the counter.

"Well, trust me…" Cloud replied, wincing as he rubbed his sore jaw. He put a finger on his lip and pulled it back. The tip of his glove was red. "If I was, I'd be running.: Tifa smiled as best she could and slid the objects across the counter. Cloud popped the painkillers open and slipped three into his mouth before taking a long drink.

"Wutai Head Slayers and alcohol. Nothing chases pain away faster," she said, trying to make light of the situation. Barret had joked once she could kick Cloud's ass in a fight, but she hadn't thought it would ever be true. Then again, he wasn't ready for her.

"So I see," Cloud nodded. "Is that because the pills work well, or the drink?"

"Does it matter?" Tifa shrugged. Cloud conceded her point and took another drink. "So what were you doing coming here in the middle of the night?" Tifa asked, remembering when she had woken up.

"Came to get a drink, got my ass handed to me instead," Cloud sighed, rubbing his forehead. "And a headache to boot."

"I said I was sorry," Tifa grimaced. "Go upstairs and lay down, a good night's sleep will do you good. The last time I remember you sleeping was when you had Geostigma, and that was just passing out."

"No thanks, not tired," Cloud shook his head. "Gotta head back out by morning anyway."

"So the plan was to sneak into the bar, grab a couple beers and leave while I was asleep?" Tifa scolded. "I don't think so."

"Well what else would you have me do?" Cloud asked.

"Stick around? Barret's coming by tomorrow, he found another oil geyser and is celebrating. Rufus bought the location info from him. Seems Shin-Ra really is starting back up. Hopefully they've learned their lesson," Tifa supplied.

"I doubt it," Cloud snorted. "Remember Teef, it was Rufus that went after Jenova's head in the first place. You think he had good interests at heart when he did that?" Tifa didn't have a response. Come to think of it, he was right. Kadaj had found the head conveniently enough with Rufus during their battle a few months ago. She hadn't taken the time to consider how Rufus got his hands on it.

"Well…come on, just stay. Visit. Remember before Meteor, we spent all sorts of time together. You, me, Barret, Aer-" Tifa cut herself off as Cloud's expression fell.

"Yeah, I remember," he said, setting his half-finished beer on the counter. "That's the problem," he finished, standing up.

"Wait, Cloud!" Tifa protested. He opened the door and paused.

"I'll stop by tomorrow…if I remember," he said, stepping outside. Tifa sighed as the door swung shut behind him. That was the first time she'd seen him in weeks and she had barely said hello.

- - - - - - - - - -

"It's nothing, you know what he's like," Barret rolled his eyes. Tifa nodded and went back to picking up playing cards from the floor. It was two in the afternoon, before the noon rush and before the evening rush. Barret had come by just as the drunkards were filing out a half hour ago. "Don't let it get to you."

"Easy for you to say, you're usually not here when he stops by," Tifa replied. "You don't have to see what he looks like when he leaves."

"Yeah, I guess," Barret admitted. "So what set him off this time?"

"I did," Tifa sighed, standing up and slapping the half-missing set of cards on the table. Their owner would likely be back that night for them. "I told him to hang out with us like we used to, him, me, you and…" Barret nodded.

"And…I'm guessing you didn't stop yourself soon enough?" he finished.

"No," Tifa shook her head. "I tried, but…she slipped out."

"That foo ain't ever gonna get his head on right is he?" Barret laughed. "It's always something with him."

"I'm trying Barret, but he makes it so hard. Every time I think I'm getting through to him, something happens and I end up watching his back move away from me," she explained.

"It's like I told ya girl, just be there for him. That's all any of us can do," Barret said, leaving back on his stool.

"It'd be a lot easier to be there for him if he'd be here at all," Tifa snorted, grabbing a cloth from the counter and starting to wipe down the tables. "I'm trying to help him, but he doesn't seem to want help. I just don't know what he wants."

"Yeah ya do, and that's the problem. He wants something no one can give 'im," Barret corrected. "You can't be Aeris, Tifa, you just gotta be you. Cloud'll come around. Just give him time."

"I've given him almost two and a half goddamn years!" Tifa shouted, throwing her head back. "What am I supposed to do? You told me that same thing last year, and the year before that. I'm giving him time and he's getting worse."

"Ah…I ain't so good at this stuff," Barret shrugged. "That's all I got. Some people just don't get over death."

"I got over Nibelheim, you got over Biggs, Wedge and Jessie," Tifa reminded.

"Yeah, but we…ya know…we were just friends," Barret said. Tifa flinched. "Okay, that came out wrong," Barret scrambled

"I know…I know…" Tifa sighed. "It's just…if I could, I'd do anything for him…I love him Barret. And I can't help but wonder if he'll ever notice…or maybe he notices and just doesn't care," She lowered her head as Barret stood up and wrapped an arm around her shoulder in a half hug.

"Ey, you know that ain't true, a'ight?" he frowned, lifting her head up. "Cloud cares about all of us. I hope he don't, _love_ us or anything…that'd just be weird." Barret faked a shiver, and Tifa giggled. "Ah c'mon girl, I told you I ain't good at this."

"Well I'm not so hot either," Tifa sniffed.

"You're a fine catch. Now if Cloud pulls that spiky Chocobo head out of his ass someday and sees that, I know you could make him happy," Barret said. "And if he doesn't…well, I got nothing to say 'bout that."

"Neither do I," Tifa nodded. "Thanks." She smiled up at him and he pulled away.

"Hey, don't go makin' me soft!" he warned. Tifa laughed as he sat down.

"Wouldn't dream of it," she replied. The door opened, and the two looked up. "Cloud!"

"Hey spiky!" Barret cried, standing up. "I'd give ya a noogie but I don't wanna get cut."

"Ha ha," Cloud flashed a halfhearted smile.

"I wasn't sure if you were going to show up," Tifa said as he sat down at the bar.

"I said I would if I remembered," he shrugged.

"Yeah, and nothing escapes your memory does it?" Barret teased. Cloud didn't respond this time.

"How is your chest?" Tifa asked. Cloud leaned back and pulled his shirt up.

"Nice color. I think I've seen flowers that shade of purple," Barret grinned. "You do good work girl." Tifa smiled sheepishly as Cloud let his shirt fall back.

"So, I heard you found oil," Cloud started blankly. Tifa turned and opened the minifridge, pulling out a sandwich and handing it to him.

"Yup, out around the Mythril Mines," Barret stated proudly. "Well, close to them at least, not near the goddamn swamp anyway."

"No fighting then?" Cloud asked.

"Hell no, damn snakies were bad enough two years ago with all you guys around. I ain't going back there," Barret shook his head. "Naw, this place is a little south of that, a little ways north of Chocobo Billy's. And I talked to Rufus."

"You mentioned that, and said something else," Tifa mused. "Something about Midgar?"

"Yeah. Rufus and Reeve were talking, and Reeve thinks they could finagle one of the surviving Mako reactors in Midgar to run on oil," Barret nodded. "And this oil patch is close enough to supply Edge and Kalm, or to employ them. If we can get a workforce together and get drilling, we might be able to charge up the reactor and get it running."

"So what's that mean?" Cloud asked, poking the plastic wrap over the bread and ham Tifa had given him.

"It means, spiky, that if we can get that reactor running on oil, we'll have enough power for Edge and then some!" Barret laughed. "We could expand the damn place faster, the coal plant's at full capacity and you remember what Midgar was like on Mako juice. If we can produce even a fraction o' that with oil reactors…"

"That's great news!" Tifa smiled. "Are Rufus and Reeve keeping you involved?"

"Ah, Rufus weren't too happy 'bout it, but Reeve says he wants me around when they start drilling. He used to work for Rufus, he knows what kind of tricks he'd pull if he didn't have us around watching his ass, kicking it when we thought it was needed."

"Reeve…he's the one who got the parts for the city, right?" Cloud said aloud. Tifa watched him with a frown. Once again he was treating what should have been a happy reunion of friends like a chore. He was making himself into a voyeur.

"Yeah, WRO or something," Barret nodded. "He's talking about a new place to the southern edge of town but he needs volunteers to-"

"So Cloud, how have you been doing?" Tifa interrupted. Barret gave her a confused look, and Tifa jerked her head at Cloud. Barret turned. Cloud took a slow bite of his snack and kept his head low.

"Fine, I guess…" he mumbled. Barret rolled his eyes.

"Really, because you look like something Cait Sith dragged off the street," he countered. Tifa smiled. Cloud shrugged.

"Just…been busy…travelling…"

"You're a delivery boy, and I handle the orders," Tifa scolded. "If anything you're not busy because whenever someone calls, I have to tell them to wait to place their order because I don't know when I'll see you next."

"You run the bar. You're fine," Cloud said. "Besides, I was the one getting paid for the deliveries, and I don't use the money for anything."

"Gotta gas up that bike o' yours," Barret reminded.

"Yeah, and that sets me back a lot," Cloud snorted.

"Oh no, we're out of draft lite!" Tifa forced a laugh. "I gotta go down the street and place an order with the supplier!" Tifa headed for the door, and Barret's eyes went wide. "You two keep each other company, I'll be back." Tifa glared at Barret over Cloud's head and mouthed 'talk to him'. Barret held up his heads and opened his mouth to mouth something back, but the door was already closing. Barret groaned and slumped back into his seat. The two men sat in silence for a moment, Barret looking up and watching the Chocobo and Moogle hands on the clock over the bar.

"So, uh…spiky…get in any good fights lately?" he asked.

"Not really. The bike scares off most of the monsters out there, the only ones that aren't afraid I just drive around," Cloud supplied, biting his sandwich again.

"You keep eating at that speed, you'll be having that thing for breakfast," Barret said. Cloud didn't reply. "Um…that sword thing you got now, that ain't the Buster Sword, or one of the ones we found two years ago. What's it called again?"

"First Tsurugi."

"Right. That's a good weapon. I'll bet there's a story behind it," Barret prodded.

"I guess. Maybe," Cloud shrugged.

"How about telling me how you found it?"

"Just picked it up somewhere. Nowhere important."

Barret grimaced. This wasn't working.

"Hey, can I say somethin' to you without you leaving?"

"Go ahead," Cloud said. Barret took a breath. Here goes.

"She ain't comin' back!" he blurted. Cloud's face clouded over and he stood up. "Hey, sit down!" Barret yelled, standing up and pushing him back down by the shoulder. "I'm sorry, spiky, I really am, but come on. It's been over two years, almost three!"

"Two years, nine months and eight days," Cloud muttered. Barret whistled low.

"Well, a'ight yeah. But hey…" he forced himself to be softer. "We all miss Aeris, spiky. She was a friend to all of us."

"She wasn't to me and you know it," Cloud replied.

"Yeah, but spiky…." Barret struggled for the words. "I know, I get it. How do you think I felt when Corel got destroyed? It hurts, they're gone and it ain't right. But you gotta move on. I miss Corel and I miss Myrna, but you can't dwell on the past. If Aeris were here she'd say the same."

"It's not the same!" Cloud protested. "She's…she's gone, but…"

"Well, she's not _gone,_" Barret shrugged. "She's just, with the Lifestream or something."

"And that's the problem!" Cloud shouted, surprising Barret. Cloud settled down and closed his eyes. "I keep seeing her, Barret…when we fought Bahamut SIN…she was there."

"What are you sayin' spiky?" Barret asked, confused.

"I saw her…she helped me break through his attack and beat him," Cloud explained. "And when I was at the church after Sephiroth….she was at the doors with Zack." Cloud lifted his head and turned to Barret. "I _saw_ her Barret. She was there, she was…alive." Cloud's fists tightened as he stared at the ground.

"She's out there _somewhere_…living, dead, I don't care anymore. She still exists somehow, and I can't get to her. I looked everywhere, I even hopped a ship north and checked out the crater…"

"The crater?" Barret cried. "With all those monsters, not to mention what happened there? Are you nuts?"

"Maybe," Cloud admitted. "Barret…even if it's only in the Lifestream, Aeris is out there somewhere. I'd do anything to get to her, even just…there's so much I want to tell her, that I never got the chance to…and if I could just see her for a minute…but I can't. I can't find her, but I know she's there…you have no idea what that's like."

"You're right…I don't…" Barret nodded. "Look, we know all about the Lifestream and Mako and that. Who knows, maybe she's there, but she's not alive if she is."

"And we all know that once you're in the Lifestream, there's no coming back," Cloud muttered darkly. "That's what got me thinking. If Sephiroth found a way to come back…maybe I could find a way for her to."

"Well, you got me there," Barret sighed. "Spiky, Cloud…if it keeps you going, then I ain't gonna tell you no. But hey…don't get your hopes up."

"Hope is all I have anymore," Cloud replied.

"Now you know that ain't true," Barret scowled. "We're all here for you Cloud, anytime."

"I know," Cloud nodded. "And, um…I was gonna go, but…my bike is low on gas."

"Ah, well you should do more work," Barret grumbled, reaching into his pocket. "Let's see…here." Barret held out a hundred-gil note. "That enough?"

"That's fine," Cloud nodded, taking the bill. "Thanks. For everything, I mean."

"Don't worry your spiky little head over it," Barret laughed. "Just stop by the oil patch sometime and say hi." Cloud nodded and walked outside. He pulled out the keys for Fenrir and slid them into the keyhole. He looked down at the bill Barret had given him and rolled it out to slid it into his pocket. Something small and white fluttered to the ground from inside the note. Cloud frowned and picked it up. It was a piece of paper, with an address and a name written on it. Cloud studied it for a moment, and gasped softly.

_"Look, we know all about the Lifestream and Mako and that…"_

"Mako…" Cloud whispered, staring at the paper. The Lifestream. Mako. They were basically the same thing, weren't they? Cloud didn't know entirely. But he knew someone who would...

Cloud set his face in stone and pulled down his goggles. Sliding the paper into his pocket along with the gil, he revved Fenrir and drove down the street, zooming past a returning Tifa who spun to watch him turn the corner.


	2. Chapter 2

Never Left

**K, looking over the chapter plan, maybe four or five chapters to this story in total. And I'll be updating every two or three days, this is just a side-project while I focus on my two Inuyasha stories, one of which is finishing soon.** Never Left

Chapter 2

_Why do you keep torturing yourself?_

I can't do this anymore. I need you.

_You have me. I never left, you know that._

That's not enough…I need you here. I need you back.

_You think you can bring me back?_

There's a way, isn't there? There has to be.

_Well…if there is a way, it's up to you to find it._

What's that supposed to mean?

"Hey, kid!"

The voice cut across the white expanse of nothingness, and Cloud blinked. He opened his eyes to find the field of flowers gone. He scowled and turned his head to the source of the voice, a man looking at him strangely. She had done it again. At least this time she had waited until he had parked. That she was able to pull him into that weird idyllic dreamscape was proof enough she wasn't gone entirely. What had she meant by that last remark? Was there something she wasn't telling him? Or something she couldn't?

"You were spaced out there. You okay kid?" the man asked.

"Yeah. I'm fine," Cloud replied, climbing off Fenrir. The man shook his head and walked away, muttering something under his breath. Cloud ignored him and flipped the switch on the dashboard of the bike. The six compartments holding the Frist Tsurugi flipped open, and Cloud grabbed the main blade and one of the side blades. He slid the smaller blade into the hilt of the main blade and put them both in the holder on his back. He flipped the compartments shut and removed the keys before stepping onto the sidewalk. The address on the piece of paper Barret had accidentally given him was right.

Cloud pushed open the glass door of the small, inconspicuous three-story building and headed to the receptionist at the desk.

"Well well, look who came to visit." Cloud stopped and turned his eyes to the left as Reno walked up to him from the elevators, tapping his electro-mag rod on his shoulder with a smirk. "Cloud. Long time," Reno gave a half-hearted, mocking salute. "What brings you here?"

"I need to talk to Rufus," Cloud said. Reno shrugged.

"Too bad, he ain't here. Why would he be?" he replied. Cloud narrowed his eyes and his hand shot to his shoulder. Reno lunged, and Cloud swung the First Tsurugi out. Reno's weapon halted against the gigantic blade, and Cloud reached out his left hand to detach the smaller but still efficient smaller blade from the sword and pointed it at Reno. Reno stepped back and held up his hands.

"Whoa whoa whoa!" Reno gasped. "Easy there."

"Mr. Reno, should I call security?" the receptionist asked, standing up with the phone receiver.

"I _am_ security!" Reno cried indignantly. The receptionist lifted her eyebrows, and Reno snorted. "Nah, relax. Cloud's our buddy, aren't ya?"

"Where is he?" Cloud demanded. Reno rolled his eyes.

"Yeesh, lighten up. Third floor, take a right. Second door on the left," he supplied. Cloud nodded and stepped past him to the elevators, hitting the button. He lifted his head and watched the reflections in the shiny marble tile. His hand reached back and pulled the First Tsurugi back out, knocking Reno's weapon from his hands in the middle of a half-hearted assault. Cloud turned around.

"Alright alright, I'm going," Reno grumbled, moving across the lobby to retrieve his weapon. Cloud walked to the elevator doors as the bell rang, and they slid open. He walked inside and pressed the button for the third floor, noticing Reno pick up his electro-mag rod and glare at him through the closing doors. Cloud waited patiently, listening to the hum of the elevator. The doors slid open and he stepped out, turning right. He counted the doors in his head and pushed open the second one.

Rude and Tseng turned their heads from either wall to watch him. Cloud tossed them each a glance and stepped up to the large desk in the middle of the room. Rufus turned from the window and gave a small smile.

"Cloud. What a surprise," the Shin-Ra President said. "Have a seat." Cloud moved to the two chairs in front of Rufus' desk but remaining standing. "Suit yourself," Rufus sighed, sitting down himself and leaning back. Tseng and Rude shared a silent look behind Cloud's back as Rufus extended a hand. "What can I do for you?"

"I thought you were crippled," Cloud muttered.

"The wheelchair was merely for my Geostigma. Now that I've been cured, my strength has returned," Rufus explained. "But I thank you for your interest. Now, what's going on?

"I need you to tell me everything you know about Mako," Cloud said. Rufus frowned and took back his hand.

"Well, Shin-Ra built a number of reactors to siphon Mako from the Planet by force but as I'm sure you know there are a number of naturally-occurring geysers around the Planet. Mako is refined by extracting energy from the Planet and-"

"Energy, by which you mean the Lifestream," Cloud interrupted.

"Yes, if you like the proper term," Rufus nodded. "The Lifestream is drained by the reactors and-"

"So the Lifestream and Mako are basically the same thing?" Cloud asked. Rufus let out a breath, annoyed at being interrupted twice.

"I don't know. I believe Mako is merely a more refined version of the Lifestream's energy, but more or less I suppose they're the same."

"You know what happens to someone when they die," Cloud said.

"Yes, their consciousness returns to the Lifestream, or so I've heard," Rufus replied.

"So what happens to that consciousness when Mako is refined?"

"I have no idea," Rufus admitted.

"Mako can be further refined and condensed into Materia. What effect does that have on the original Lifestream energy it was drawn from?" Cloud continued.

"Cloud, now you're asking questions I have no answers to."

"You ran Shin-Ra, still do."

"Yes, for about three months before Meteor wiped the company as we knew it off the map, and most of our employees and offices and technology with it," Rufus scowled. "I never paid any attention to the specifics of Mako, I just know it's created by extracting the Lifestream from the Planet."

"There has to be someone who knows," Cloud insisted.

"Yes, except most of them are buried in the rubble of Midgar. You're welcome to look," Rufus snorted. "Or you could ask Hojo, but that could be a problem too. From what I heard you and your buddies left him in a few dozen pieces."

"Dammit," Cloud cursed, lowering his head.

"Why are you asking me this?" Rufus demanded.

"The Lifestream can ultimately be made into Materia, right? The Lifestream is just energy but Mako is real, it has a form. What happens to the collective inside the Lifestream when it gets condensed like that? When they go from energy to physical?"

"I have no idea," Rufus repeated. "What does it matter what happens?"

"Everything!" Cloud snapped, slamming his hands on the desk. Rufus glared at him and looked to the sides where Tseng and Rude had moved closer to them. He waved his hand and the Turks moved back slightly.

"My company only refined Mako. In case you've forgotten, figuring out what impact our actions had on the Lifestream wasn't a high priority," Rufus glared. "You're asking questions I just can't answer." Cloud turned his head away and closed his eyes. "Did you come here just to pump me for information? What's going on?" Rufus asked.

"Sephiroth," Cloud started, taking a breath. "He found a way to avoid dissolution in the Lifestream and eventually came back. How?"

"I don't know the full answer. All I know is what Kadaj told me, that he and his gang were pieces of Sephiroth's will that had escaped and manifested," Rufus replied. "Apparently Sephiroth's will was too strong to be destroyed entirely."

"So that's all it takes to come back? Willpower?" Cloud asked hopefully.

"I'm not sure. If you'd like to try, go ahead," Rufus snorted. "Besides, that's not the same, really. Sephiroth survived, but only as Kadaj. He needed Jenova's head to exert enough influence over Kadaj to truly reform, and before you ask I don't know how he did that either. You keep asking questions only the dead have answers to."

"Yeah. That seems to be my problem lately," Cloud agreed, turning to walk away.

"That's it then?" Rufus muttered. Rude and Tseng moved behind Cloud as he left, but he paused at the door.

"The consciousness of the Lifestream…would anyone know?" he whispered. Rufus barely heard him, and lifted an eyebrow.

"Perhaps one of those strange Planet-worshippers at Cosmo Canyon?"

"Thanks, I guess," Cloud nodded, walking into the hall. Rufus sat back and shook his head.

"That was odd," Rude said.

"What do you think he was asking for?" Tseng asked.

"I don't really know or care," Rufus scowled, rubbing his temples. "Just have Reno warn us next time he comes around."

- - - - - - - - - -

Outside, Cloud turned the keys on and Fenrir roared to life. He flipped open his cellphone, and dialled after taking a moment to remember the number.

_"Yeah?" _the voice answered.

"It's me. I need you to give me a lift," Cloud explained, storing the First Tsurugi blades back in his bike.

_"Where to?"_

"Cosmo Canyon. And soon," Cloud replied. "When can you pick me up, I'm in Edge."

_"Edge? I can probably be there in a couple of hours," _the voice said.

"Thanks. I'll be waiting on the highway," Cloud said, hanging up. He revved Fenrir and drove down the street, turning right and heading to the highway leading to the ruins of Midgar.

- - - - - - - - - -

Why did you leave me?

_I had to._

But why? It isn't fair.

_Life isn't fair sometimes. I wouldn't have left if I could have helped it._

If there was a way to get you back…

_Why does it matter? Why do you want me back so badly?_

I…I…

_I see…_

Cloud groaned as she left and put a gloved hand over his forehead. More half answers. She didn't want to leave? Was she toying with him or trying to help him? He shook his head and looked up at the approaching shadow moving swiftly across the sky. _Shera_ banked and turned, and the back hatch slid into alignment with the highway. Cloud stepped off Fenrir and waited as the door retracted and the ramp extended before wheeling the vehicle into the airship.

"Hey, long time," Cid waved, jumping down from a catwalk overlooking the cargo bay. "We're bringing the bike too?"

"Yeah, can't leave it," Cloud replied. Cid shrugged and walked to the edge of the cargo bay, operating the manual controls for the hatch. The ramp slid back into place and the door slid down.

"So why Cosmo Canyon?" Cid asked, heading back to the bridge of the ship.

"Gotta talk to some of the people there," Cloud explained, following the captain.

"About what?"

"Stuff."

"Hey, you know that shit ain't gonna fly with me," Cid warned as they stepped into the elevator leading up.

"I just…need some answers," Cloud clarified.

"Is that right? About what?" Cid repeated. "We ain't going to anywhere but Hell until I get a straight answer Cloud."

"I…" Cloud paused for a moment. "I want to know if there's a way to get Aeris back."

"Aeris?" Cid frowned as the elevator opened on the main deck. "Ain't it a few years late to try and find a way?"

"I never thought there might be a way until now," Cloud shrugged, walking to the steps leading to the deck's glass bottom and sitting down. Cid rolled his eyes and took his place at the helm, flipping three switches and taking the wheel.

"Well do what ya need to do, I ain't your daddy," he grunted, putting out a hand to adjust the elevation level. "Ya find a way, more power to ya I guess."

"There has to be a way. I have to see her again," Cloud said.

"Is that right? Still smitten after all this time?" Cid replied, picking up a cigarette from the table behind him, putting it in his mouth and patting his pockets for a lighter.

"I…I thought I would get over it," Cloud admitted. "But every time I think about her…it hurts. Even now. And I know I'm moping over it and it's frustrating to you guys…"

"Damn straight," Cid nodded.

"I just can't get my mind off her. I figured it was just a silly crush I'd get over, but…"

"Yeah yeah, we all got problems in the romance department, welcome to life," Cid huffed, lighting his cigarette.

"I thought you were living with Shera?" Cloud asked.

"Yeah, but that ain't romance, she's just the help. And she scares away all the women because they think I'm just an old coot with a maid," Cid complained, taking a drag.

"No romance? I thought you named the airship after her?"

"Shut that spiky-headed little mouth of yours."

Cloud smirked and turned to watch the mountains near Midgar come into view as the airship turned and began flying to Cosmo Canyon.

"Hey," Cid said suddenly. "You find a way, you let us know. I think we all wanna see her again."

"I know," Cloud agreed. "But not like I do." Cid shook his head.

_"That boy has it bad," _he thought, going back to maintaining the ship. He leaned forward to stare at Cloud's face.

"Hey, when was the last time you got some sleep?" he asked.

"Couple days ago, two or three."

"Three days? Holy shit," Cid muttered. "How the hell do you keep moving?" Cloud shrugged again, and Cid rolled his eyes.

"I keep busy. You keep moving, sleep doesn't slow you down that much."

"Huh, sure," Cid snorted. "Whatever, like I said I ain't your daddy. Do whatever ya want."

"Cid…how did you deal with losing your dream?" Cloud asked suddenly. Cid stopped in the middle of a drag and looked down.

"Huh?"

"When Shin-Ra cut the funding for the space program…how did you deal with it? Knowing it was probably a waste of time, but there was still hope?" Cloud repeated.

"Kid, have you listened to me talk lately?" Cid scoffed. "That's how I dealt with shit like that." He stopped laughing and shrugged. "Nah…I dunno. Like you said, I figured it was a lost cause but I knew there was still a chance that the bastards would come back someday. So I lived my life and figured there was nothing to do for it."

"Yeah, but…what if you had gone to the Shin-Ra yourself? Maybe they would have listened," Cloud pointed out.

"Maybe, or maybe it would have been a waste of my goddamn time," Cid replied. "Hey, if this about Aeris? Cause if it is, this don't apply. Aeris was a sweetheart, the Shin-Ra were assholes."

"I guess," Cloud agreed.

"Alright, just sit down and shut up, I got a ten-ton hunk of steel to keep airborne here. Have a nap or something," Cid ordered. Cloud leaned his head back on the stairs and listened to the hum of the airship engines in the distance. His eyes slowly drifted closed. Cid looked down at him and snorted.

"I meant in the back, there's a sofa in the passenger area," he said to the sleeping boy. Naturally he didn't a response. With a sigh and a shake of his head, he took a drag of his cigarette and went back to the airship. Suddenly, there was a beeping, and Cid looked down. He picked up the receiver for the airship's on-board phone.

"Yeah?" he answered, taking his cigarette from his mouth. "Oh hey…yeah…he's asleep," he said, looking down at Cloud. "Like hell, he ain't slept in three days, I ain't wakin' him up. Why?…Cosmo Canyon…yeah, probably…I'll call ya, yeah. See ya." Cid hung up and put his cigarette back his mouth.


	3. Chapter 3

Never Left

Chapter 3

Where are you?

_I'm always here. I told you, I never left._

Then why can't I find you?

_Maybe you're not looking hard enough._

What more can I do?

_I can't tell you that._

Why not?

_That's just not how it works, Cloud…_

Cloud's eyes popped open as the airship jerked again, and a string of curses from Cid drew his attention further from dreamland. He sat up and looked out the glass windows at the mountains of Cosmo Canyon surrounding them.

"Goddamn stupid piece of shit engines, good for nothing sonuva…" Cid grumbled, struggling to manoeuvre the _Shera_ between the rocks.

"Trouble?" Cloud asked, standing up.

"Eh?" Cid muttered, turning his gaze up from the control panel. "Oh, shit yeah, I can't get as close to the canyon as before. This stupid bitch of an airship has a fatter ass than the first one, the _Highwind_ never had any trouble getting in here!" Cloud held back a smart remark on the comparison between the two airships given their names and looked down. The sleepy gathering of tents around the hills of the canyon had grown slightly more numerous in the years since Meteor, with more people coming to respect the Planet and revere it. But the settlement was still peaceful and cozy looking.

"Ah screw it, hop off," Cid snorted, walking to the hatch of the airship. He pull down the latch holding it shut and opened it inwards, revealing a small ledge with a rolled-up rope ladder on the deck. Cid kicked the ladder over the edge and it spun down to the ground.

"Thanks for the lift. I may need to go somewhere else after this," he said.

"Whatever, don't take long," Cid replied, gesturing to the sunset in the distance. Cloud climbed down the rope ladder and looked down to see it ended about five feet off the ground. He jumped back and landed in a crouch, before standing and walking up the hill to the settlement. The airship and his arrival had attracted the attention of the people there and a small crowd had gathered at the top. Cloud smiled as he saw a tuft of red fur through the people, and they parted or were pushed aside.

"Cloud. Welcome," Red XIII said, closing his eyes and bowing his head. Cloud returned with a bow as the lion-esque animal turned his head to the crowd. "You need not fear. He is a friend, he will not harm you." The people each accepted his judgment and moved away, although a few looked over their shoulders. Red XIII let out a soft growl. "Forgive them. Many of the ones here lost their homes to SOLDIER ages ago. Trust of your kind will not come easy."

"It's alright," Cloud muttered. "I need to talk to you."

"Very well," Red XIII replied, turning and waving Cloud forward. Cloud followed him into the borders of the settlement to a large wooden structure set along the cliff. It looked suspiciously to Cloud like a giant wooden box with two sides open. Red XIII reared up and pulled a rope hanging in front of the wooden box, one of six or seven, and stepped inside. Cloud looked up to see a system of pullies and weights strung from a wooden support structure up high.

"Hurry, the weights will give in a moment," Red XIII advised. Cloud stepped in beside him, and jumped slightly as the construct began moving upward, two weights descending to the ground beside them.

"An elevator?" he asked sceptically. Red XIII nodded.

"Yes. With the increased number of people we needed an easier way to climb the cliff. Besides, stairs and doors can be difficult when you possess four paws," he explained. Cloud shrugged. "So, what do you need to speak to me about?" Red XIII asked.

"I need to know all you know about the Lifestream," Cloud said. Red XIII narrowed his eyes as the lift stopped at the top of the cliff.

"Bugenhagen told me much before he passed. There is much he did not tell me, but these things I have learned since. What do you wish to know exactly?" Red XIII asked, walking to the door to Bugenhagen's old lab. The door had been segmented half-way down, and Red XIII pushed through the lower door leaving Cloud to open the upper half and follow.

"When you die, your consciousness returns to the Lifestream and joins the collective, right?" Cloud began. Rex XIII snorted and gave him a strange look as he sat down.

"Yes, exactly. We learned this long ago Cloud," he chided.

"Right. But Sephiroth's consciousness didn't dissipate in the Lifestream, it escaped and began Kadaj," Cloud countered. Red XIII looked down and thought for a moment.

"So, that would explain much…" he murmured.

"How did he do that?" Cloud asked. Red XIII lifted his head.

"The Lifestream is not indiscriminate in the gathering of the conscious mind. Certain thoughts and emotions, certain remnants of our personalities, cannot be assimilated properly and so endure."

"What kinds of remnants?" Cloud asked eagerly, leaning forward. Was this it?

"Hatred. Anger. Greed. Those who committed violent acts like murder or destruction. Those people who cling to their negative feelings from life cannot join the collective until they let go of their darkness. But, as the mind is forever trapped in the state of death, this can take decades, centuries. I suspect this is how Sephiroth endured, since the Lifestream could not accept him he merely needed to find a way out. How he managed to manifest as Kadaj, there is no telling."

"What about someone with a good heart?"

"Well, then their minds dissolves and fragments and joins the Lifestream collective, and they enjoy peaceful rest."

"So, if you're a good person and you die…you're gone for good?" Cloud muttered flatly.

"Well, no, not exactly," Red XIII shook his head. "The mind fragments but the spirit can never be entirely destroyed. Upon a force of will, that spirit can collect the shards of their human life and reform their mind. Those with a spiritual connection to the Planet can communicate with the spirits this way."

"So that's how she's been doing it?" Cloud whispered.

"She?" Red XIII asked.

"Aeris," Cloud admitted. "She's been contacting me for a while now, especially when Kadaj showed up."

"Ah," Red XIII nodded.

"I was wondering, if there was a way…to bring her back," Cloud explained.

"Hm. Well as I said, Aeris' mind is fragmented in the Lifestream but as you correctly deduced she has been able to speak to you by summoning those fragments to her spirit. She endures in the stream as all beings do, should they possess the will."

"So it's by force of will, she could come back?" Cloud asked.

"That is a tricky question. Sephiroth is the only occasion I have ever heard or read of a dead person actually escaping dissolution and reviving. And my tribe is quite long lived," Red XIII explained. "Plus, you must remember he did not truly survive, he became Kadaj and needed Jenova cells to truly be reborn."

"So how come he didn't use my cells?" Cloud frowned, putting a hand on his chest. "I'm a SOLDIER."

"I do not know. I suspect, perhaps, his influence over you was much more limited than it was three years ago. He must not have been able to exert enough force to control your cells. Otherwise, yes, by all means he should have been able to seize your body as he wished," Red XIII agreed. "But that is good, as I have heard most of the other Sephiroth clones are dead, either from Sephiroth himself or they went insane and committed suicide. You are likely the last source of Jenova cells on the Planet. So it is fortunately you are beyond Sephiroth's control somehow."

"Yeah," Cloud said, staring at his hand like it would reveal the answers to him. Sephiroth wasn't able to control him? That made sense somehow, but…something didn't add up. He had never even felt the slightest hint of Sephiroth exerting his influence over him. Was his repelling all Cloud's doing?

"So, do you think she could come back?" Cloud asked, looking up. Red XIII was silent for nearly a minute.

"I wish I could say yes. I miss her just as much as I imagine you do. She was connected to the Planet in a way I can only dream of. She could have taught us much. And," Red XIII tilted his head and pulled his gums up in what Cloud figured was a smile. "She knew how I liked my back scratched," he admitted. Cloud smiled.

"At the same time, I cannot say no. I know and have seen too much about the complexities of the Lifestream to say no. But even if there is a way, I do not know it. I fear that knowledge has been lost to time," Red XII finished.

"Is there any way to find out?" Cloud begged. "Please. I have to know."

"There is one way…" Red XIII started slowly, not knowing if Cloud would like what he was going to say.

"What?" Cloud demanded.

"The Lifestream currents carry not only our spirits, but all spirits, including those of the Ancients. This current flows throughout the entire Planet, but there is one place where that current's pulse grows. The heart of the Lifestream, where the boundaries between life and death are most thin... at this heart, the knowledge of the Ancients and the Lifestream can be accessed."

Cloud paled, and Red XIII closed his eyes and lowered his head.

"The Forgotten City…" Cloud whispered. Red XIII nodded.

"If there is an answer, anywhere, I believe it could be found there. If not…then I am sorry," he replied. Cloud slowly looked down at the ground.

"So…three years later and it's full circle at last," he muttered.

"It appears so," Red XIII agreed. Cloud turned to the door and chuckled softly.

"Well, for better or worse…it may as well end the same place it started," he said sadly. Red XIII growled in response as Cloud left, opting for the stairs and caves over the lift to get back to the ground. The stares and whispers of the settlement at the sight of the last SOLDIER were not lost on him this time, as they were when he had first come.

_"The last SOLDIER…the only one left alive…heading to the Forgotten City to face fate one last time…" _he thought. _"Is this what you felt like that night you left us? Just you against a world that can't understand you? I was unconscious after Sephiroth appearing at the Temple…I never even got to say goodbye…"_

Cloud headed down the hill to where the rope ladder leading to the airship hung. He jumped and grabbed the lowest rungs, pulling himself up to the landing and the ladder with him. He swung the hatch open and climbed inside.

"So, how'd it go?" Cid asked, leaning against the steering wheel picking his nails.

"Got another place to go," Cloud said.

"Figured. Where to?" Cid groaned, turning.

"The Forgotten City," Cloud replied.

"Holy shit. It'll be morning by the time we get there," Cid warned.

"I gotta go," Cloud repeated. Cid rolled his eyes and grabbed the wheel.

"Alright, si'down," he ordered, powering up the engines again.

- - - - - - - - - -

I'm coming for you.

_I know._

Can you see me?

_Yes. I always can._

Why didn't Sephiroth take me?

_He couldn't. I wouldn't let him._

You mean?

_He couldn't control your Jenova cells…my influence over them was too strong._

So it was you…

_Yes._

Thank you…

"Wake up, we're here," Cid yelled, snapping Cloud from his dream-state. Cloud shook his head and stood up as Cid opened the hatch and kicked down the rope ladder.

"This is as far as I go, I gotta sleep," Cid muttered as Cloud climbed down the ladder outside the Forgotten City.

"No problem. Can you pick me up in a day or so?" he asked, looking up. Fenrir was still in Cid's cargo hold as the Shera couldn't land properly in the canyon, so he had just taken the six First Tsurugi blades that were now connected into their joined form and slid into the holders on his back.

"Yeah yeah, get that spiky head off my damn ship already," Cid snapped. Cloud nodded and finished his climb. He hopped down to the ground and looked out at the valley as Cid began rolling up the ladder. A minute later, the _Shera_ flew away, leaving Cloud to enter the city in the twilight of near-morning.

The vaguely aquatic architecture of the city was much the same as the last time Cloud had been there nearly three years earlier. Black boots padded down the path to the fork, and Cloud stared ahead in horror at the path leading down to the building that covered the true city below. He stared for what seemed an eternity before forcing himself to turn left and walk down the stone path around the city center. He kept his eyes riveted forward as he circled to the back of the city.

The altar housing the giant blue Materia shard was still intact as Cloud rounding the crumbling temple surrounding it. He stepped in front of the stone path leading to the altar, and started walking. He stopped at the front of the crystal shard and knelt, bowing his head.

"Please…" he whispered. "Ancients…hear me…" he waited for a response, but there was none he could tell. "I…I'd give anything…to get her back…please…there has to be a way," he pleaded. The blue crystal glinted in the morning sun, and Cloud let out a breath. Another dead end…

_Cloud…_

Cloud's eyes widened.

_Do you mean that?_

"Y…yes…" Cloud nodded. "I'd give anything. Just please…come back. There has to be a way…"

_There may be…_

Cloud leapt to his feet.

"How!?" he cried, looking around for her. Her voice was so loud she could have been right behind him.

_There is one more place for you to go…_

"Where?" Cloud asked.

_You know where…_

"What?"

_If you really need me back…the only place I could come back…is where you lost me…_

Cloud paled as he turned to look down at the building in the pit at the center of the city. In his mind's eyes, the clear crystal blue steps down to the shrine below were already before his feet.

_I'll be waiting for you…_

"Aeris!" Cloud cried.

_If you can do it…I'll see you soon…_

"Don't go!" Cloud begged. Fatigue overtook him and he collapsed in front of the crystal. His eyes drifted shut, and he fought against them to stay awake. He just needed to go a little further.

_Sh…in time…_

Cloud's eyes drifted shut as five fingers gently ran over his spiked bang. Cloud's eyes opened to slits to see a shadow standing over him. He let out a breath as sleep took him, his eyes drifting back shut and his breathing evening out in sync with the hand stroking his hair. The hand vanished into a green mist of energy a moment later and curled into the blue Materia crystal, shining for a brief moment at the boy slumbering below it.

**The information about the workings of the Lifestream comes from the novel "Maiden Who Travels the Planet", featuring, who else, Aeris. As stated in the novel, people like say, Hojo and President Shinra who led cruel and evil lives and cling to such lives cannot be absorbed into the Lifestream while people like Zack can dissimilate and when called upon, gather themselves into a whole again.**

**Anyway, next chappie is the last one.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Final chapter, thanks for reading everyone! I modify the entrance to the temple under the City a bit, but it's for dramatic reasons. Enjoy!**

Never Left

Chapter 4

Cloud furrowed his brow as he became aware of the world around him again, slowly opening his eyes. A curved ceiling met his view, and he felt soft bedding under his bare arms.

"So, you're awake."

Cloud jumped and sat up, looking to his left.

"Vincent?" Cloud asked. "What are you doing here?" Vincent lifted his eyes and crossed his arms.

"I saw the airship. Was wondering what was going on," he replied. "This place doesn't get many visitors."

"Yeah…sorry if I alarmed," Cloud sighed, figuring he really hadn't.

"I found you asleep in the back of the city," Vincent said.

"Yeah. I just…looking for some answers," Cloud shrugged.

"Aren't we all?" Vincent murmured, looking up at the ceiling. Cloud was silent for a moment.

"Vincent…do you think there could be a way to revive Aeris?" he asked. Vincent lowered his eyes.

"I doubt it," he replied. Cloud sighed and looked around the small house.

"What time is it?"

"It's almost night."

"So I've been asleep all day…" Cloud whispered.

"You looked peaceful," Vincent told him.

"I felt peaceful. Harm, safe…" Cloud admitted. "I haven't felt that way in years." The two stood in silence as Cloud stood up. "Then enough rest. Time to do what I came here to do."

"You think you can bring Aeris back," Vincent muttered. It was a statement, not a question.

"Yeah. I have to hope for that," Cloud nodded as he collected the First Tsurugi from a table.

"Be careful though," Vincent warned. "Hope can turn to hopelessness a lot easier than you'd think." Cloud nodded again as he left. Vincent had never been one to talk, and when he did he usually had something important to say. This occasion seemed to be no exception.

The Forgotten City was bathed in moonlight as Cloud emerged into the ruins and started down the path. He reached the fork and turned down the path leading into the center of the city. Taking a breath, he began the walk.

The path curved down into a shallow pit surrounded by trees and offset by a large pool of water in the center. Cloud reached the water's edge and forced his eyes to look past it at the building on the opposite side. He had no desire to look into the water and see or not see something horrible. He quickly crossed the banks and enter the building that covered the entrance to the temple below the city.

The house spiralled down into a staircase, and Cloud took the steps slowly, breathing heavily. Flashes of the last time he taken this path entered his mind and he willed them away as best he could. The stone and dirt walls soon gave way to open air, and Cloud looked down.

Far below, the red and violet spires of the temple loomed in the magnificent chasm under the city, sparkling clear water filling the area below the balconies connecting them. A single pristine white altar lay in the middle, connected to the main structure by a series of white stepping-stones. Cloud inhaled and kept walking down the crystal staircase, keeping his eyes on that altar.

After an eternity the crystal steps ended. Cloud's boots padded down on the stone walkway surrounding the temple, and he closed his eyes.

"_Soon the girl will become part of the Planet's energy."_

"_The cycle of nature and your stupid plan don't mean a thing!"_

Cloud took a breath and circle to the line of white stones dotted across the water. He took them slowly, and finally reached the altar. The small flight of stairs he took in two steps. Finally at his destination, Cloud waited for a moment, then fell to his knees.

"Please…" he whispered. "Aeris…come back…I need you…" Not entirely sure what he was expected to do, he kept going. "I miss you, god…so much, and…it's not getting better. Come back to me…I need you. I…" Cloud swallowed for a moment, a single tear running down his cheek. "I…love you…please…there has to be a way…I…"

Cloud's mouth went dry as he tried to continue. He coughed slightly, and winced as a jolt of pain shot through his body. Another, and he fell forward on his hands and knees, gasping. Waves of agony washed through him, and he screamed into the calm serenity of the temple. Clenching his eyes shut at the pain, and tossed his head forward a few time and vomited on the altar stone, coughing and rolling to lay limp beside the puddle.

Eyes closed as he whimpered, Cloud slowly rolled back to his stomach and put out a hand, grabbing the edge of the altar and pulling himself up. He was still for a moment, panting and gagging on the taste of bile. Head low, he didn't notice the spectacle above his head. Small, miniscule particles of dark green and purple from his bare skin and through the fabric of his clothing. Joining into a small ball, the particles flashed for a moment. Purple and dark green brightened into blue and light green, and the ball floated above the altar high into the dirt ceiling high overhead.

Cloud winced as he pushed himself to his feet. He couldn't remember the last time he had felt this weak, except for when he had had Geostigma. Not entirely understand, he took a moment to compose himself and looked down at his own vomit. His hand clenched into a fist and he threw his head back.

"Why do you do this to me!?" he roared, not entirely sure who he was talking. "Why do you have to take everything important from me?" Cloud closed his eyes and let the tears fall free, three years of pent up rage and sadness dripping to the altar. "Zack, Nibelheim, Aeris…why do I lose everything important? I fight and I be the damn hero and I sacrifice…why? Why do I have to give up everything I want? Because if sacrificing everything you love is what a hero is, I don't want any of it! You hear me? If this is what it means then forget it!" Cloud lowered his head after his outburst and clutched his face, sobbing softly.

"It's not fair…" he whispered. "Everyone else gets love…a home…why can't I? Can't I have just one thing to hold onto without it being taken away? Or am I just supposed to be alone and unloved? Maybe that's it, huh? I'm just destined to be unhappy…"

The revelation of what he perceived as his fate came calmly, and Cloud just let out a breath.

"So…it was a waste…" he muttered bitterly. "All of it…just a waste. I save the Planet, twice, and this is what I get? Alone in a temple underneath a forgotten city in the middle of nowhere talking to my own puke."

Cloud turned and walked back to the temple exterior, looking back at the altar sadly.

"I guess it really was just hope…" he said, starting up the crystal staircase. The glowing blue steps seemed to go on forever as he climbed up them. He entered the part of the stairs where the crystal joined the dirt basement of the structure overhead, and slowed.

Another set of footsteps echoed through the small hall, and Cloud looked down. There was no one down in the temple who had followed him. Someone was coming down.

"Vincent?" he called, knowing the man who answer if he was called. There was no response and the steps kept coming. Cloud narrowed his eyes and unsheathed the First Tsurugi, holding it behind him. He hadn't fought in this type of closed space before, but whomever it was, he wasn't in the mood for conversation. Besides, no one besides Vincent could be out here and have pure intentions.

Cloud saw the head of a shadow reached down over the stairs, and he tensed, ready to defend himself. The footsteps stopped.

"Well, show yourself!" he demanded. There was no response, and Cloud lifted his foot to walk up the stairs. Then…

"Cloud?"

Cloud froze, his eyes wide. The shadow moved as the figure finished coming down the stairs. Cloud stared as a soft brown boot covered in bright pink cotton touched down on a step in his view. The First Tsurugi slipped from his grasp and slid down the stairs, falling down into the temple below as it fell off the crystal staircase. Cloud began to shake as a small hand came out and held the wall as she stepped fully into his view.

"It…can't be…" he whispered. Aeris stared back at him and stopped in front of him, raising a hand to his face.

"Cloud…"

"Tell me…" Cloud begged. "Tell me…this is real…" Aeris smiled softly and nodded.

"It's real," she promised. Cloud nodded back, content to trust it. His hand came up to cover the one on his cheek, and he took in a shaky breath as he felt warm flesh beneath his fingertips.

Rushing forward, Cloud wrapped his arms around Aeris' shoulders and pulled her into a kiss, tears running down his face anew. Aeris squeaked at the surprise assault, but the shock wore off quickly, and she grabbed his shoulder.

"I've missed, I've missed you so much!" he cried, pulling back slightly and kissing her cheek. "Don't leave, don't go again!"

"I wont," Aeris whispered, putting her hands on his head to stop him.

"How?" Cloud asked, staring into her eyes.

"You helped me," she explained, smiling. "In more ways than one." Cloud smiled back, unfamiliar with the expression after so long.

"Aeris…I…"

"I know," she interrupted. "I heard you." Aeris kissed him on her own this time, but it was short. "I love you too." Cloud laughed and hugged her tightly.

"I've never letting you go. Not again," he whispered in her ear.

"You won't have to."

"We have to see everyone," Cloud said, pulling back. "Cid's picking me up tomorrow, you can see everyone!"

"Yeah, but first…" Aeris giggled. "I think we need to go back and get your sword." Cloud looked back and remembered the First Tsurugi falling from his grasp.

"Nah. It's a good trade," he shrugged.

"Oh, so I'm just a trade am I?" Aeris teased. "In that case I'll just go back to sleep and you can get your precious sword back."

"Like hell."

Any response or comeback Aeris might have had was cut off by another kiss.

- - - - - - - - - -

"I thought he'd be here waiting," Cid muttered, looking around the valley outside the city the next morning. "You think something happened?"

"Maybe he got hurt," Barret grumbled. "I told you you should have let us come with him."

"Shut up, I ain't his keeper," Cid shot back.

"Maybe he was attacked," Tifa thought aloud. "We should go take a look." Tifa started jogging to the path to the center of the city, Barret slowly following behind her.

"He's fine." Tifa stopped as Vincent emerged down the right fork, walking past her and Barret.

"Vincent, he's ok?" she asked.

"He is now," Vincent replied, walking past Cid. The three turned to the building Vincent had come from as a loud laugh came from inside.

"Oh my god," Tifa gasped, bringing her hands up to cover her mouth. Cloud and Aeris walked towards them. Cloud said something Tifa couldn't make out, and Aeris pushed him, grinning. Cloud stumbled off the path and hit the dirt with a laugh, grabbing her arm and pulling her down with him.

"Son of a bitch, he did it," Cid muttered, shaking his head. "Ah, good for him."

"I ain't see him this happy in years," Barret said as the two stood up and noticed their audience, waving. Tifa smiled and looked over her shoulder.

"Something tells me we'd better get used to it," she advised.

_**fin**_


End file.
